Category: Verdict: 3.5

The piece makes for solid entertainment, but only fans of the genre are likely to appreciate it.

Posted in Movie Review Verdict: 3.5

Constantine (2005)

Like the fantastic worlds they depict, genre stories follow their own rules. Constantine is a good example of this. Its premise is absurd on…

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Posted in Movie Review Verdict: 3.5

Demons (1985)

In her 1969 essay Trash, Art, and the Movies, the late Pauline Kael wrote, “movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot…

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Posted in Movie Review Verdict: 3.5

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2011)

In his book-length essay On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King compares horror fiction to our childhood fear of the boogeyman. Scary…

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Posted in Movie Review Verdict: 3.5

Drive Angry (2011)

Ever wanted to see Bella’s dad (Billy Burke) in Twilight (2008) lead a satanic cult, kill a bunch of people, and coerce a young…

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Posted in Movie Review Verdict: 3.5

Escape from Tomorrow (2013)

Even before its release, Escape from Tomorrow gained notoriety for setting its perturbing story at Disney World and shooting on location, prompting bloggers from…

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Posted in Movie Review Verdict: 3.5

Escape Plan (2013)

A couple of years ago, when it was announced that Arnold Schwarzenegger would appear in Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables (2010), I imagined something akin…

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Posted in Movie Review Verdict: 3.5

Freddy Vs Jason (2003)

Forget Alien Vs Predator (2004) and its hateful sequel. This is how you make a proper monster mash. A full decade in the making,…

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Posted in Movie Review Verdict: 3.5

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

I’ve argued for some time now that vampires are the new unicorn: a fantasy creation that appeals to the female psyche specifically and leaves…

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Posted in Movie Review Verdict: 3.5

Getaway (2013)

Getaway starts with an impressive exercise in economy of language as Brent Magna (Ethan Hawke) steals a souped-up Mustang under duress from a mysterious…

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Posted in Movie Review Verdict: 3.5

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

Unlike Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and the slew of hipsters attending midnight screenings of Troll 2 (1990), I don’t appreciate B-movies ironically. I genuinely…

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